Understanding the concepts above are fundamental to training your dog. Aversions are when Fido has a negative feeling about a command. Distractions happen when too much is going on around him and he can’t concentrate (for example TV, other pets, or cars). Lastly, a generalization is when you expect your dog to take a concept and apply it to other situations. Now that we’ve defined the terms, let’s look at how to apply them in training.

Fido may have developed an aversion to some of your commands. This often happens with a dog and his name. If you call Fido and get angry with him, he associates that anger with his name. Or if you call Fido and drag him to the tub for a bath (assuming Fido doesn’t love a bath), he begins to think that his name means he’s getting a bath. Make sure he associates positive experiences with what you are trying to teach him.

Start your training program in a quiet place with very few distractions. Maybe a room with no TV blaring and no people around. Train there for short periods – just a few minutes – and do it frequently, at least once a day. Don’t do your training in a busy room or outdoors with birds and squirrels until you’re sure that Fido gets it. When he goes to a place with more distractions, he may forget his training. Don’t get mad; your pup just needs more study time. Lower the distraction level, use tasty treats, and keep working.

Here is where generalization comes into play. Humans are great at generalizing, dogs not so much. Because we are so good at generalizing, we forget that Fido doesn’t have the same skill. For example, Fido knows what sit means at home, but he’s not sure it means the same thing in different situations. Then, when you tell Fido to sit at the vet’s office, he won’t. You may explain to the vet, “I don’t know why he won’t sit; he knows this!” However, we know he hasn’t fully generalized yet.

Once he gets the trick down pat, great – then you’ll need to practice with Fido inside, outside, at the park, or in the vet’s waiting room. The more situations you ask Fido to sit in, the faster he will be able to generalize that sit means sit everywhere. The sooner you understand the concept or the lack of generalization Fido has, and you test his training in various situations, the faster your pooch will get it.

Now that you understand how these three concepts can slow down your buddy’s training – commit to a training plan, be patient, and reduce your expectations. Fido will eventually figure out what he’s supposed to do!